Flag locking mechanism foe taximeters



Jan; 17, 1933. 3. VLAHOV FLAG LOCKING MECHANISM FOR TAXIMETE'RS OriginalFiled Jan. 7, 1927 INVENTOR A TTORNE Y Patented Jan. 17, 1933 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE VLAHOV, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TOOHMER FARE REGISTER COMPANY, OF DAYTON, OHIO FLAG LOCKING MECHANISM FORTAXIMETERS Substitute for application Serial N0. 159,628, filed January7, 1927. This application filed December 7,

This application is the same as a previous application, Serial No.159,628, filed January 7, 1927.

This invention relates to devices for looking the flag and the flagshaft of taximeters in the vacant or for hire positions thereof, andcontemplates the provision of positively acting means for preventing theflag and the flag shaft from over-running sald positions under theimpulse of undue or unnecessary force, or by reason of fraudulentmanipulation.

In taximeters of various constructions, 1t has been possible by means ofa sudden jerk, or by considerable force, or by excessively slowmanipulation to cause the flag to move from fare registering positionpast its proper position, for indicating that the taxicab is vacant.lVhen such movement occurs an additional trip is registered on thetotalizer, and the chauffeur is charged therewith.

Trouble between the owner of the taxicab and the chauffeur frequentlyarises from this source and leads to the possibility of fraud on thepart of the chauffeur, who may try to account for trips for which he ischarged by attributing the recording of certain trips to the faultyoperation of the taximeter flag locking mechanism.

My improved mechanism obviates this difficulty by positively locking theflag and the parts connected thereto in the vacant indicating position,when the flag is moved into that position by any movement, whetherforceful or gentle. Said mechanism is furthermore, so constructed thatonce the flag has been moved into said position, it can be removedtherefrom only by first moving the flag backwardly to a slight extent,as is more or less customary, whereupon the flag may be again set tofare registering position.

The various objects of my invention will be clear from the descriptionwhich follows and from the drawing, in which,

Fig. l is a front elevation of my improved flag locking mechanism,showing the flag in the locked position thereof.

Fig. 2 is a similar View of the same showing the positions assumed bythe parts just before Serial the flag has been rotated into the lockedposition thereof.

Fig. 3 is a similar view of the same, show ing the positions assumed bythe parts when the flag is moved slightly backwardly from the lockedposition thereof, preparatory to its movement into the fare registeringposition, and

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the peculiar spring for operating thelocking pawl.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated, and which showsthepreferred form of a number of possible operative mechanisms which may bemade in accordance with my invention, the usual taximeter flag 10 issecured to a suitable flag shaft, projecting in the usual manner outsideof the casing 11. On the inside of said casing, the mutilated ratchetwheel and cam 12 is fixed to the flag shaft, as is the usual four-pointwheel 13, said wheels being suit-ably maintained in position as by meansof the screw 14, so that rotation of the 10 and the flag shaft causesrotatron of the wheels 12 and 13. Substantially half of the wheel 12 hasthe ratchet teeth 15 made therein, while the other half is formed toprovide the cam 16 having the comparatively deep cam notch 17 at onepoint, and an arcuate cam surface 18 of the diameter of a circle joiningthe outermost point of the ratchet teeth 15, for about a quarter of thewheel circumference.

For normally preventing material backward movement of the flag throughthe angle subtended by more than one of the ratchet teeth 15, a ratchetpawl as 19, pivoted to the cas g at 20, is provided. The spring 21 byaction upon the end 22 of said pawl, serves to maintain the end 23 inengagement with the ratchet teeth 15 throughout substantially half of arevolution. Pivoted to the casing l as at 24 is the quarter stop lever25, which pr vided with the segmental projection :26 fed to engage thefour-point wheel 13 for temporarily stopping the flag at vertical andhorizontal positions, and resisting, though not preventing, furthermovement of the has; past these positions. A spring 27, secured to theframe 10 and to a point on the lever 25 and near the end 28 thereof,serves to maintain said stop lever in engagement with the four-pointwheel 13. A. pin 29 on, and near the end 28 of, the stop lever 25projects therefrom toward the casing for the purpose soon to bedescribed.

The locking pawl 30 is pivoted to the easing at 31 and is provided witha suitable tooth 32 adapted to enter the notch 17 of the Wheel 12 at theproper time, as will be hereinafter described. Both the effective edgeof the tooth 32 and the edge of the notch 17 which engages the toothedge, are somewhat acute, that is, said edges are inclined to a radiusof the wheel 12 drawn to the outer extremity of the notch 17, wherebythe tooth 32 may be retained in the notch when in locking position. Tothe upper end 33 of the locking pawl 30 and to a suitable point 34: ofthe casing are secured the respective ends of the tension spring 35which normally withdraws the said pawl from engagement with the wheel12. The normally weaker spring 36 is preferably bent into S-shape, thelower end as 37 being secured to the casing 11.

The spring 36 has a Wide portion as 38 preferably formed integraltherewith and having a central portion 42 substantially perpendicular toa line drawn from the center thereof to the pivot point 24. The upperend 39 of said portion 38 is bent toward the free end 4:0 of the spring,and the lower end 41 is preferably bent away from said free end, both ofsaid ends 39 and 41 projecting somewhat beyond the adjacent fiat facesof the portion 4:2. The free end 40 is normally in engagement with thelocking pawl 30 urging said pawl into engagement with the wheel 12 butbeing without suiiicient strength to overcome the action of the spring35 unless said spring 36 is given more power by the additional pressureput thereon by the action of the pin 29, when said pin is brought tobear on the outer face of the spring 36 in a manner soon to bedescribed.

In the locked position of the parts as shown in Fig. 1, the flag 10 ispreferably upright, and the tooth 32 of the locking pawl 30 having beenpressed into the cam notch 17 of the ratchet wheel 12, urged thereto bythe action of the spring 36 aided by the pressure of the pin 29. Noforward movement of the flag is possible since the spring 27 acting onthe lever 25 maintains the tooth 32 frictionally against the notch 17with sufficient force to prevent withdrawal of said tooth by the spring35. The end 23 of the ratchet pawl 19 is riding up on a tooth near theend of one of the ratchet teeth 15, so that backward rotation of theflag through an angle subtended by less than one of the teeth 15 ispossible. The segmental projection 26 of the lever 25 rests in one ofthe depressions between the points of the four-point wheel 13, while thepin 29 at the end of said lever is in a position just past the bent end41 of the portion 38 of the spring 36, ready to move up on the inner orlower face of the portion 41 on movement of said lever. It is obviousthat when the parts reach the positions just described, owing not onlyto the shape of the tooth 32 but also to the fact that the spring 35 isnot of sufiicient strength to overcome the frictional engagement of thetooth 32 with the notch 17, and it is therefore impossible to force theflag further forwardly, that is in a counter-clockwise direction asviewed in Fig. 1 without destroying or seriously injuring the mechanism.

When it is desired to move the flag forwardly into the fare registeringposition, the flag must first be moved slightly backwardly. The lattermovement rotates the flag shaft and the wheels 12 and 13 thereon throughan angle subtended preferably by a major fraction of a tooth 15 untilthe pawl end 23 engages the radial wall of a tooth 15 whereupon furtherbackward movement is prevented (Fig. At the same time the wheel isrotated backwardly, releasing the locking pawl from its frictionalengagement with the notch 17 so that the tension spring 35 becomesactive to withdraw the locking pawl 30 from the wheel 12, and the flagis freed for forward rotation. 7

During the initial part of the rotation of the flag in the first quarterof the revolution, or the first quadrant, the segmental projection 26 ofthe lever 25 rides up on one of the points of the four-point wheel,causing upward movement of said lever and of the pin 29 at the endthereof. Said pin, on movement of the lever 25, engages the under faceof the bent end ll of the spring 36 and rides up on the inner face ofthe portion a2. On

the continued rotation of the flag, the lover 25 is raised to itshighest position, the pin 29, passing the inner or under face of thespring portion 39 and forcing the spring 36 against the stop a l. As therotation of the flag is further continued, the pin 29 passes the upperend of the portion 39, after which the lever 25 drops and the pin 29carried thereby passes to the outer surface of the spring 36, wherebythe inward pressure of said pin on the spring isbegun. As the flagreaches the end of the quadrant, the pin 29 presses against the outersurface of the portion 41, imparting an inward movement to the spring 36and so increasing the power or the pressure exerted by said spring as toovercome the withdrawing action of the spring 35 on the pawl 30, wherebysaid pawl is forced toward the loclring position thereof.

In all of the quadrants except the last, the notch 17 of i he wheel 12is not presented to the pawl tooth 32, and the mechanism is not,therefore, locked. In the last quadrant, however. the notch 17 isbrought into proper position by the rotation of the flag to receive thetooth 32. Said tooth therefore enters said notch, preferably at the timewhen the flag is in upright position as illustrated in Fig. 1, wherebythe parts become locked-as hereinbefore pointed out, no matter how fastor with what force the flag is operated. It will be seen that thelocking mechanism is positive in its action, and that the locking actioncannot fail to take place, unless, indeed, the mechanism is deliberatelyinjured by the excessive nature of the force exerted on the flag.

It will also be seen that I have provided an eflicient lockingmechanism, adapted to withstand the rough handling to which thetaximeter may be subjected by taxicab drivers, and which is notsusceptible to fraudulent manipulation. It will be understood that theembodiment of my invention shown and described is intended to beillustrative and that various modifications thereof are contemplated andmay be employed without departing from the scope of the invention or therange of equivalents afforded by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a taximeter fiag locking mechanism, a locking pawl operative tolock the flag when said flag is rotated into locked position, a pair ofsprings differing in power and acting in opposite directions on saidpawl, and means for imparting additional force to the weaker one of saidsprings when the movement of the flag into the locked position is begun.

2. In a taximeter flag locking mechanism, a locking pawl, a springurging said pawl into locking position, a second spring of greater powerthan the first mentioned spring urging said pawl into unlockingposition, and means for rendering said first spring operative to locksaid mechanism when the movement of the flag into the locked position isbegun.

3. In a taxiineter flag locking mechanism, spring-pressed positivelyacting means for preventing forward or material backward rotation of theflag from the locked position thereof and for locking the flag in apredetermined point in the rotation thereof, and means for unlocking themechanism on the slight backward movement of the flag including opposedsprings and means for nullifying the locking action of one of saidsprings.

i. In a taximeter flag locking mechanism, a locking pawl, a springtending to urge said pawl into locking position, guide projections onsaid spring bent in opposite directions, and means adapted to engagesaid projections alternately for alternately aiding and nullifying thelocking action of said spring on the rotation of the flag.

In a taximeter flag locking mechanism. a locking pawl. a spring normallyurging said pawl into locking position, guide projecof differentstrength acting on said pawl in opposite directions, and means forrendering theweaker of said springs operative to move said pawl intolocking position when said locking means is to be locked.

7. In a taximeter, a rotatable flag and means for locking said flag in apredetermined position thereof against continued forward movement butallowing the forward movement to take place after an initial bacle wardmovement from the locked position, comprising a spring, meansoperatively connected to said flag and urged by said spring into lockingposition for locking said flag, and means for causing said spring tooperate in the locking position of the parts and for causing said springto become ineffective to lock the flag in the other positions.

8. In a taximeter flag locking mechanism, a rotatable flag, a ratchetwheel having a notch therein mounted for rotation with said flag,ratchet teeth throughout substantially half the circumference of saidwheel, a pawl adapted to engage said teeth for preventing materialbackward rotation of said flag for about half the angle of rotation ofsaid flag, and for allowing backward movement of said flag in the lockedposition thereof through an angle less than that subtended by a tooth ofsaid wheel, a pawl adapted to enter the notch of said wheel when theflag is in a predetermined position, a spring adapt ed to force saidpawl into locking position, and means acting on said spring forrendering said spring alternately operative and in operative.

9. In a taximeter flag locking mechanism, means associated with the flagfor resisting movement of said flag past a point in each quadrant of arevolution including a pivoted lever, a locking pawl, a spring tendingto urge said pawl into locking position, oppositely bent projections onsaid spring, and a pin on the end of said lever adapted to pass intoengagement with opposite faces of said spring alternately and to engagesaid projections alternately for operating said spring.

10. In a taximeter flag locking mechanism, a flag, an inter-engagingpivoted lever and a four-point wheel associated with the flag forresisting movement of said flag past the vertical and horizontalpositions thereof, and positively acting means operative independentlyof the speed and force of rotation of the flag for locking the flag inone of the vertical positions thereof during the rotation of said flagincluding a locking pawl, a wheel operatively connected to the flagadapted to be engaged by said pawl, a spring urging said pawl out oflocking position, a weaker spring tending to urge said pawl into lockingposition, projections on said weaker spring, and means on said leveradapted to engage said Weaker spring and the projections thereon foralternately aiding and nullifying the locking action of said spring.

11. In a taximeter flag locking mechanism, a flag, spring pressedpositively acting means for locking said flag at a predetermined pointin the rotation thereof, independently of the speed and force ofrotation of said flag into locking-position, and means including a pairof oppositely acting springs for alternately urging said locking meansinto, and for withdrawing said locking means from locking position onthe rotation of said flag. I

12. In a taximeter flag locking mechanism, a Wheel having a quadrantalnotch therein, ratchet teeth over approximately half the circumferencethereof and an arcuate surface over the remaining quadrant thereof, afour-point wheel having arcuate depressions therein, a pivoted stoplever, a quadrantal projection on said lever adapted to enter thedepressions of said four-point wheel for temporarily halting the flag inthe horizontal and vertical positions thereof, a pawl engaging saidratchet teeth for preventing backward movement of the fiag'through anangle equal to and greater than that subtended by a complete tooth inthe first and third quadrants, a locking pawl adapted to enter the notchof the ratchet wheel, a spring normally urging said locking pawl intolocking position and a pin on the end of said stop lever for alternatelyengaging opposite faces of said spring and for alternately aiding and Vnullifying the locking action of said spring.

13. In a taXimeter flag locking mechanism, means for locking the flag ata predetermined point in its forward rotation, including a stop lever, apin on said lever, a spring operated by said pin and a locking elementmoved to locking position by said sprin means for maintaining thelocking means in locked position', and means for releasing said lockingmeans on a slight backward rotation of the flagfrom its locked position.

14:. In a taXimeter flag locking mechanism, means associated with theflag for locking the flag at a predetermined point in the revolutionthereof, a spring tending to urge the loclring means into the lookingposition, said spring having a widened guide portion and ends on saidportion bent 1n oppositedirections, and a movable pin acting on theguide portion and ends of the spring to make said spring alternatelyoperative and inoperative.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

GEORGE VLAHOV.

